Degree Requirements

In order to receive a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete a major field of study, fulfill the requirements for the Connections curricula and co-curricular wellness dimensions, earn at least 124 credits, and be in good academic standing. First-year students must also complete a first-year experience (FYE) course. The distribution of credits is typically:

31 to 36 credits in the Connections curricula;
40 to 56 credits in a declared major field of study; and
32 to 53 elective credits or credits in an optional declared major or minor field of study.

Students wishing to pursue a third major must secure approval from the Dean of the Faculty. Minors are optional except for elementary education or Broad Field education majors. Students may complete a minor in a regular or directed studies program. Courses taken to fulfill Connections curricula requirements may also be used to fulfill requirements in a chosen major or minor field of study, but no course can be counted more than once within the major or minor.

To complete a degree, students must also

earn a grade point average of 2.00 on a scale of 4.00 for all course work (3.00 for students pursuing teacher licensure or a teacher certification minor);
complete an approved major in a regular or directed studies program;
earn a grade point average of 2.00 in the major, including concentrations or emphases, and in minors(students pursuing a directed studies major must earn a 3.00 grade point average in the major);
earn at least 20 credits in the major at Northland College;
earn at least 6 credits in the minor at Northland College (students are limited to two minors);
earn 30 of the total required credits at Northland College;
earn 20 of their final 30 credits at Northland College;
complete a Senior Capstone; and
be in good academic standing.

The following credit limits apply:

no more than 65 credits earned from a two-year community or junior college may be applied toward requirements for the baccalaureate degree (see TRANSFER OF CREDITS under ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES );
no more than 12 Internship, Field Experience, or Teaching Assistantship credits may be applied towards requirements for the baccalaureate degree;
no more than 12 correspondence credits may be applied towards requirements for the baccalaureate degree;
no more than 30 credits may be applied through testing options such as Advanced Placement, CLEP, or International Baccalaureate.

Though the Registrar’s Office tracks every student’s degree requirement progress, each student is ultimately responsible for determining and completing the credits and co-curricular wellness dimensions s/he needs to fulfill the degree requirements.

Major and Minor Fields of Study: A student is expected to officially declare a major field of study and, if applicable, a minor field by the end of his or her second year of study. Many students arrive at Northland College and are undecided about their major fields of study. Northland College offers academic advising and career counseling to help students identify appropriate majors and minors to support their interests and goals.

Program Catalog: Students are assigned to the catalog that is active at the time of their first entry into Northland College. Students entering in the fall of a new catalog cycle are assigned to the new catalog. For example, a student entering in September of 2012 is assigned to the 2012-13 catalog, not the 2011-12 catalog. Students entering in the winter are assigned to the same catalog as those entering in the previous fall.

Students wishing to declare a major or minor in a catalog newer than the one to which they are assigned may petition the Academic Standings Committee to move forward into a newer catalog. Once a student adopts a new catalog, all rules and policies in the newer catalog go into effect for that student. Students are not allowed to move backward to adopt an older catalog.

Students are not allowed to declare one major in one catalog and another major in another catalog. For example, a student cannot declare a Biology major in the Fall 2009-2011 catalog and a Business major in the 2011-2012 catalog.

Students who leave Northland for any period of time are allowed to return to Northland under their original catalog provided they return to Northland within four semesters or two years. Students who are gone for four or more semesters will reenter Northland under the catalog in place at the time of reentry. For this purpose, “semesters” are defined as the 15 week timeframe usually associated with Fall or Winter semesters at Northland College. Therefore, May term and summer school are not counted for this purpose.

Students who left Northland after Winter semester of the 2010-11 academic year and who subsequently return to Northland will not be allowed to reenter Northland under any catalog prior to the catalog issued for Fall of 2009, regardless of the timeline under which the student returns.

Second Baccalaureate Degree: A second baccalaureate degree may be earned at Northland College. The following provisions apply:

All degree requirements for the degree are satisfactorily completed.
A 30-credit minimum is earned at Northland beyond all of the credits and degree requirements for the first baccalaureate degree. Any repeated courses do not count toward the 30 credits. For students who earned their first degree at Northland, this would mean that a minimum of 154 credits must be earned to qualify for a second degree.
For students who did not earn their first degree at Northland, all of the major area requirements still apply, including minimum GPA within the declared major and the minimum number of credits completed within the major at Northland.
Each Northland College degree must be different. For example, one degree could be a B.S. and the second degree could be a B.A. Double majors within the same degree category lead to one degree with two majors listed, regardless of how many credits are earned. An individual student may not earn two of the same degrees from Northland College.
Students who earn two majors in different degree categories but who do not earn 30 credits beyond the number needed for graduation will be required to choose between a B.A. and B.S.
Students enrolling with a prior degree and wishing to pursue a second degree must declare their intentions, complete the admissions process, and contact the Registrar’s Office no later than the end of the add/drop period of the student’s first term in attendance at Northland College. Students pursuing a second degree must follow this procedure regardless of how many credits the student plans to enroll in each semester. Failure to do so could result in the loss of the opportunity to earn a second degree.

Students should complete all requirements for the second degree within four semesters of attendance at Northland. Exceptions to this policy should be cleared with the Registrar’s Office prior to the first semester of enrollment.